Acharya Mahaprajna
Central Chronicle
Our emotions undergo a mutation. Feelings of violence, of insolence and indiscipline, feelings of cruelty must dissolve altogether. If there is no change of feeling, meditation cannot be said to have reached perfection
All men wish to awaken in themselves the consciousness of non-fear. But how is it to be accomplished?
Two most important systems functioning in our body are the nervous system and the endocrine system. They regulate the working of the entire organism.
The external situation and the inner chemistry of the body determine our response. It is a common belief that circumstances make a man. There is some truth in it. But it is not the whole truth. The whole truth is that both circumstances and biochemical reactions within determine a man's nature. We often try to alter the circumstances to suit our convenience, but as often we fail in that endeavor. However, it is the biochemical reactions that influence us most; internal secretions from various glands determine our conduct. With a change in the inner chemistry of the body, it becomes possible to go beyond the circumstance, to transcend them altogether.
On the contrary, unregulated biochemical reactions render us a slave to circumstances; we become their victim. Those who practice Preksha meditation must realize this truth and they should embark upon the process of changing their biochemical reactions, if they would master their circumstances. In today's scientific age, the practice of meditations should not be merely a leap in the dark. Science has developed to an extent that it is neither possible nor desirable to ignore the new developments altogether and keep treading the beaten path. Some psychologist & Educationalist said that the most notable observations made about the practice of meditation related to physiological effects, for example, the lowering of body temperature, relief from blood-pressure, the increase or decrease in weight.
I said we do not look upon meditation as a means of treating physical ailments. Nor is the shivir (Meditation camp) a hospital, though it is an admitted fact that physical diseases have been cured in shivirs. But for us that is a secondary issue. Our main purpose is to bring about a transformation of being. The consummation of meditation lies in accomplishing a complete change of heart.
Our emotions undergo a mutation. Feelings of violence, of insolence and indiscipline, feelings of cruelty must dissolve altogether. If there is no change of feeling, meditation cannot be said to have reached perfection. There are techniques available to bring about this mutation of feeling. If you concentrate on Jyoti Kendra (the Centre of Enlightenment), the emotion of anger is quite transformed; concentration of Darshan Kendra (the Centre of Intuition) does away with illusion and awakens inner vision. Our frontal lobe is very powerful; it controls all our feelings. The hypothalamus governs everything. It controls the pineal and the pituitary glands. The pituitary, in its turn, controls all other glands. For a complete transformation of feelings, we must concentrate our attention on the forehead and the front part of the head; without it there could be no change of feeling. When we concentrate our attention on the navel, the centre of bio-electricity, we experience a sudden upsurge of power and high stimulation. There is an unprecedented increase in vitality but at the same time it contributes towards the growth of high passions. All the strong emotions arise from the adrenal.
It is however, possible to control all these. The three psychic centres-(Shanti Kendra, the Centre of Tranquility; Jyoti Kendra, the Centre of Enlightenment; and Darshan Kendra, the Centre of Intuition, all situated on the frontal lobe above the eye-brow, are responsible for the transformation of feeling. Both desirable and undesirable emotions issue therefore. We believe that ugly, unpleasant and undesirable emotions can be transformed. Leshya dhyana (Perception of Psychic Colors) is an important technique in the Jain system of meditation. Concentration of attention on various colors brings about a corresponding change in feeling. Modern color therapy has shed a great deal of light on the importance of colors. A lot of research is being done on color therapy and a good deal of literature has been brought forth. Also treatment through perception of colors, and the use of sun rays occupy an important place in nature-therapy. However, there has been of late a tremendous development in the field of perception of psychic colors, which is of great significance in the whole system of Preksha meditation. Of course all the practices of Preksha meditation are the means of awakening the consciousness of non-fear, a state of total freedom from fear.